No matter how hard one tries, it is extremely difficult to hang a framed picture or item that is hung from a wall perfectly level and in a desired position. The problem rests with the placement of the nails or hanging devices that are used to support the hanging. It is difficult to estimate the position of the hanging device that will produce the proper orientation. As a result, the frame or object rests askew from the desired position, shifted to the left/right, up/down, or slanted diagonally. One then must reposition the nail/hanging device and start over; leaving empty holes in the wall that must be refilled. Accordingly, there is a need for a means by which one can hang a picture or other wall hanging in a desired position with both ease and accuracy.
Several attempts have been made in the past to an apparatus that allows the adjustment of a picture or other wall hanging in an up/down and/or left/right fashion after being attached to a wall surface. U.S. Pat. No. 7,011,283 in the name of Lemire discloses objects hung with the improved hook & cord loop hanging system using one or more adjustable hooks for changing the length of one or more flexible cord loops. Each improved hanger can either be affixed to the object or to the surface the object is being hung on. The cord loop or loops interface with various supports connecting to or affixed to the object or to the surface when the hanger is on the object. The single hook and single cord configuration provides vertical adjustability by shortening the length of the cord through the turning of the screw the adjustable hook is ridding on. A single hook and double cord configuration provides support and locking for the object. A double hook and double cord configuration provides vertical adjustability and locking capability. These hangers can be used alone for small objects or in pairs for larger or heavier objects. Unfortunately, this prior art example uses a corded material that can easily break during use, thus rendering the invention useless for its' intended purpose. In addition, breakage of the cord can result in damage to the object being hung.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,663,075 in the name of Zuller discloses a picture hanger with a height adjustable hook that allows the height of the picture to be adjusted from time to time. The hanger uses a back plate on which two opposed crenellated tracks are positioned. Two spring-biased crenellated cars are housed in a frame and move on the tracks. The hook is attached to the frame. The frame is either a traveling plate which moves between the tracks and the back plate or a traveling block which is slidably mounted in a channel in the back plate and on a rod positioned in the channel of the back plate. Unfortunately, this prior art example only allows adjustment of the hung object along the vertical plane.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,659,418 in the name of Lemire describes picture frames and frame bases attached to pictures that are able to be mounted flush against a wall. Special recessed areas and frame connections make contact with one or more special wall brackets. The wall brackets are anchored into the wall and are connected to the frame in a number of ways. One of the ways is with the use of a screw that has a threaded bar moving on it. The screw goes through the top of the frame and is locked to the inside face of the frame so that it remains in place when the screw is turned. When the screw is turned the threaded bar moves into a recess in the wall bracket and pushes the picture up until the picture bottom hits a second wall bracket. This second bracket locks the picture onto the wall. The embodiments presented demonstrate various other means of locking the picture flush against the wall, as well as, means for leveling and adjusting the position of the picture. Unfortunately, this prior art texample is complicated to use, and requires a multitude of elements be attached to a wall surface for use of the invention.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,241,210 in the name of Brindisi discloses a device that provides adjustable hanging of an item, such as a picture frame, on a vertical support such as a wall. The hanger may provide for automatic, in situ, and/or substantially continuous vertical adjustment, and/or horizontal adjustment. The adjustable hanger may comprise a first portion affixed to the vertical support, and a second portion that engages with the first portion and fixedly attaches to or is incorporated in the reverse side of the item, with one or both of the aforementioned portions being formed to allow automatic, in situ, continuous vertical adjustment and selective locking with respect to the other portion through a clamp, bias, or similar means; one or both these portions may also be formed to allow horizontal adjustment and repositioning with respect to the other portion. Also disclosed is a device for horizontally extending the available range of mounting positions for items that need to be supported by a stud. Unfortunately, the mechanism of this prior art example makes it difficult for a user to adjust the position of an object along the vertical and horizontal plane while the object is hung against a wall surface.
None of the prior art particularly describes an apparatus that allows the adjustment of a picture or other wall hanging in an up/down and left/right fashion after being attached to a wall surface. Accordingly, there is a need for an apparatus which provides such features while overcoming the above-noted shortcomings.